Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-10-06
WHY STREETS WERE OMITTED.

mates OF lSo4-So, on which this appropriation was
based included the cost Of roadway pavements
| only When reported to you for duty, in June Of
last year, no detailed estimates had been made Of
| the total cost OF Improvements on any one Of The
s spec streets The preparation OF these aata
IIom actual measurements was work or time
and colncldent with the progress Of the fLprove-
ments; When completed il was found that the
| cost vi tne work under contract would exceed the
appropriation, and as 1t happened that the George
| Town streets and Virginia avenue southeast were
the last on the list OF work to be executed these
sections, particularly Georgetown, suffered the
greatest reductions. 1t had also been proposed TO
| improve Maryland avenue with 2O-feet center
| parklng anu Two roadways each 20 feet wide, but
section y? OF the Revised Statutes, d. c., prohib-
It's the reduction OF any street avenue TO less
avenue was therefore paved full width thereby
increasing the cost and swelling the allotment OF
snead @ section Estimates and preliminary
ScueuuleS Ior street improvements during the
nScal year 1888 SO have already been submitted.
| WOODEN PAvEMENTs TO BE REPLACED.
| AS modifying this distribution, all wooden
| pavements should be replaced, and in particular
cases special attention is needfu certain lines
| OF communication, Industrial considerations and
| building developments. Upon investigation 1t
appears that wooden pavements originally laid in
the 1olloWlng streets and avenues have never been
replaced by improved pavementS: street south
east from Al TO 9th streets, north and south
SIDES or Seward Place. North Carolina avenue
southeast, through Seward Place. 9TH street
southeast, through seward Place. 4th street SOUTH
east from pennsylvania avenue TO street. d
street southeast from eth to 9rh streets, on south
Siut OF square. ID street southeast, from PennSyl.
vlnla avenue to Sth north side of square.
Noren Gar9na avenue southeast. from TN street
10 pennsylvania avenue. through square. 7th
street southeast, from ID street to south side OF
Solltn Carolina avenue.
These streets are given on the street pavement
map IN the commissioners first annual report
| Qor fiscal year 1850 as paved with wood. AS
| the wooden pavements deieriorated they were in
many instances covered with gravel to improve
the roadway, and in the annual report OF $780, and
an subsequent reports the above specified streets
appear as graveled. In the meantime all other
with sheet or block asphalt, coal-tar distillate
granite blocks, and these streets should be paved
curing The ensuing fiscal year. The cost OF such
improvements should properly be in excess OF the
usual allotment to the southeast section.
THE COAL-TAR DIsrILIATE PAYMENTS.
IL Will be noticed that OF the new pavements laid
| In 1867 twenty-seven per cent were sheet as
phalt, two per cent granite block, twenty-five per
cent asphalt block, and forty-six per cent sheet
c0atar diStillate. AS this IS the first ear since
the organization OF the present form Of District
government that cOal-tar distillate pavementS
have been laid in the streets Of Washington. few
words in this connection will not be inappropriate.
Previous to 1873 745,3o5 square yards OF Goai-tar
square square yard. Many En Of these paveme hts
proved unreliable, either through inherent defects
mixing and laying. Some went to pieces in few
years and Others dereriOrated rapidly to soon
Siyely high figures. OF the SO-called Evans pave
ment 19o663 square yards were Laid mostly In
payements were resurfaced at an average cost OF
100 per square yard. AS late as 1877 Lieut. HOXie
estimated twenty cents per yard per annum as the
cost OF maintaining coal-tar pavements. The fault
was believed to lie in the material itself, and the
first board OF commissioners appointed under the
act of June II, 1873 expressed their objections to
these pavementS as follows:
''In determining the class OF pavements to be
hereafter laid the commissioners
| maintain that each class Of pavement must prove
its qualities under the test OF actual traffic be-
fore being extensively laid upon the streets Of
this city
while some of the later and better class OF
cOal-tar QaveInentS show good surfaces and give
fair promise of reasonable durability, yet the
general condition OF this class OF pavement in the
city is such as TO lead to their condemnation as
faulty In principle and deficient in Vitality. The
use OF bitumnOus bases has also given rise to
many perplexing problems In the grades of streets
upon which they have been used, and as, when
properly laid their cost is as great IL not greater
than than the hydraulic concrete, they have been
definitely abandoned
The conclusion then reached has been con-
sistently adhered TO up to the past year. Asphalt
surface on an hydraulic cement concrete base be-
came the standard smooth pavement or Washing
ton The defect believed to be inherent in all paw
ing compounds into Which coal tar enters as an in
gredient thus stated in the report OF the BOARD
OF exDtrtS made to the mayor OF Philadelphia in
July, 1854: ''rhe coal-tar pavement is not recon-
memded by us for the reason that the cement1ng
substance Is product of gas-tar obtained by in
terrlptny the destructive distilation OF that
compound after IL has reached a certain point.
When placed on the street and subjected to at
mospheric influence, a slow and gradual oxidation
takes place. by which the tar loses Its cementing
Qualities and becomes inert. The particles OF
sand then lose their cohesion, and the pavement
rapidly diSintegrattS.
wherever laid in the United States coal-tar
payementS have, as a rule, given little Sat1sfac-
ton. and the flrst board of Commissioners simply
gave voice TO public opinion in describing them.
In the meantime. however period OF nine years
has elapsed, and the well-preServed condition OF
sOe Of the later and OF coal tar pave
ments" have led many to believe that The faults
OF the earlier payements are not irremediable,
and that, with the experience gained and with
proper care, such pavenentS can be laid nearly
equal to the asphalt In most respects and superior
in the quality OF economy OF the first cost, as we'll
as in some other minor particulars. The cost Of
maintenance is a very important element TO con-
From the office records l have had prepared
table showing the original cost and yearly expense
for maintenance, including resurfacng OF each
sheet pavement laid since 1871. THIS table Is
From the table it appears that the average an
| nual expenditure for maintenance OF The coal-tar
pavementS, for the fifteen years ending July l.
1856, has been 1910 cents per square yard. or
the Evans pavements 157 1924 square yards were
Ing, and virtually becanesScnarf pavementS, Con-
sdering hem such, the second total is obtained
as given In the table, with mean average annual
expenditure for maintenance OF 81 cents per
square yard For the first five years the annual
average is 40 cents; for the se( Ind five years
cents; Tor the last five years. 6 6-1O cents. That
a durable coal-tar pavement can be laid is proven
by the fact that the los, $50 square yards OF vul-
canite pavements have only averaged g. 10 cents
per square yard per annum for fourteen years
maintenance, the average being o BIO cents per
yard FOR the first five years, 2-10 cents for the
second five years, and cents for the last four
years. Had all Of these pavelnents been resur-
faced during the past year at the contract price OF
S1.OJ per square yard, they would be under guar
antee for five years from July l, 1887, and the
mean average annual expense to the rict for
maintenance for period OF twenty years would
not exceed ~ cents per square yard Trinidad
and Neufchatee Rock Asphalt papenents were
laid on Pennsylvania avenue and street previous
TO 1878 The following table shows the compare
tive cost OF maintenance OF the asphalt and coal
tar pavementS.
COMPARATIVE COST OF MAINTENANCE OF COAL TAR
AND ASPHALT PAvEMENTS.
Av. cost OF mainte-
nance per So. yd.
Class Of No. OF per ann
PavementS So. yds. for yrs. for 10 yrs
|, COAL TAX DISTILLATE.
All including
Vulcanite, 7lJ,:}O3 $0OS6 SOO79
Vulcanite, 1873. SO O.U26 OO2j
ASPHALT.
Neufchatel Rock, 31,6s9 OO15 OOl6
Grahamite, 55,1l2 O.O2O
From this table it Will be seen that as the record
stands now even the vucanite pavement is some
what more expensive to maintain than the
asphalt pavementS.
THE PROBLEM OF STREET GRADES.
The "many perplexing problems in the grades of
| streets" upon which bituminOus bases have been
laid result from the fact that the three courses of
disttllate pavements the base, the binder and the
inches In thickness. The wear on the surface Is
| u hen no linda